


Beyond the Pleasure Principle

by Cerberuscroft



Category: Tomb Raider (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-19 00:00:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8180752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerberuscroft/pseuds/Cerberuscroft
Summary: Lara and Sam aren't getting along so well, it seems. Lara decides to treat herself to a little break in Rome, attending the Global Archaeology Congress.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before we begin;
> 
> English isn't my first language and I have no one to proof read this. I've done my best to get all of the spelling errors out, and I think I've done somewhat of a good job, but there are probably some in there, still.
> 
> I'm writing this because first and foremost I'd like to increase my English and my writing skills. Secondly, I quite like the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise, hence why I've written a TR story. Originally, I've had an idea for an entire epic revolving around this story, but realized I'm far too lazy to finish that, so it ended up being a short story instead. Also, because I am lazy I write chapters slowly. I've gotten 3 chapters done, and I expect there to be about 5 or 6 in total. Please don't expect me to update regularly. (That is, if people are even interested in this story)
> 
> Enjoy.

The squeaking leather boots on the hardwood floor didn’t seem to bother Sam as Lara’s right leg shook up and down relentlessly. Lara couldn’t stand the squeaking. Which would make you think it was solvable by just stopping, but Lara couldn’t help the nervous tick. She even pushed her hand down on her right thigh hoping to keep her leg in check. It didn’t help and she decided to move her hand to her mouth instead, so she could continue biting her nails. She glanced at Sam who was sitting across from her at the kitchen table. Sam looked dreadful as her hair was in complete disarray and the skin around her eyes showed that sleep was a luxury she rarely experienced anymore. She was busy looking down at her food, not paying attention to anything except swirling her, probably cold, spaghetti around with her fork. The kitchen was a mess. Hell, the entire manor still was. Lara and Sam had moved back in the manor some months ago, after Lara had finally given into Sam’s insatiable begging for months. Lara didn’t want to move back in, because she didn’t feel like being reminded of the past. But Sam managed to convince her it was the right thing to do. Boy was she wrong, as expected. Which is why they weren’t even half finished unpacking. Lara didn’t feel like it. Sam didn’t either, although Lara wasn’t entirely convinced Sam wanted to actually live here anymore. For example, normally Sam had about 46 thousand different outfits, now she was perfectly content with about 5, swapping them every day so she’d had something to wear for the entire week. She didn’t really get dressed in the weekend, anyway, because she’d stay in bed. Her attitude dragged Lara down, as well. The result of it all was that the manor was littered with half emptied boxes. The half of the contents that did make it out of the box, rarely reached further than the floor surrounding the box.

“Not hungry?” Lara asked carefully. She wasn’t even sure why she asked. Sam hadn’t eaten properly in weeks, never finishing her dinner. It showed. Her skin was pale and her face was thinner than usual. She pressed her lips together and looked at Sam intensively, waiting for a response. So intensively, even, that she stopped moving her leg for a few seconds. Now, the only sound in the kitchen was the echoing of Sam scraping her fork over her plate, while she moved her food around. There was no response, however, and quickly the squeaking resumed. “I got another email from professor Atkins today,” Lara continued. It felt as if her words kind of drifted away in the wrong direction. As if the soft scraping and squeaking were the dominant sounds in the kitchen and her words didn’t really have a place there and then. Sam didn’t even look up but Lara continued nonetheless. “A reminder, again, asking if I want to come to the Global Archeology Congress in Rome next week. I didn’t reply to him yet.” Only scraping and squeaking. Lara didn’t really feel like the congress in Rome would be that interesting. However, it would give her a chance to get away from the house. And, more importantly; away from Sam. Mind you, she didn’t dislike Sam. Hell, she still loved Sam as much as ever. Lara just didn’t know what to do with her anymore. Or how to act around her... or what to say to her. They got together, you know - as a couple, a couple of months before Sam had her breakdown and she was sent to a mental institute. What was meant to be the relationship they were both yearning for, turned into the biggest stress factor of their lives. Lara was worried she’d have nightmares, PTSD episodes and the whole shebang from Yamatai. And Siberia. But no. This. This… relationship, if you could still call it that, was the one and only thing that was driving Lara to the brink of insanity. “I think I’m going to go. To the congress, I mean,” Lara said sheepishly and suddenly the scraping of Sam’s fork stopped and, instinctively, Lara stopped moving her leg, as well. The only thing Lara could hear now was her own breathing through her nostrils as she pressed her lips tightly together, and anxiously waited for a reply. Sam slowly looked up, her eyes empty and dark. When Lara had first met her, back in uni, Sam her eyes were full of joy, full of excitement. As if they couldn’t wait to start seeing, and filming, the entire world. Now, they were dead. Like eyes who had stared the hooded, scythe wielding death straight in his eyes and were now regretting not having gone with him to the other side. Lara felt goosebumps form under her fingers as she nervously, and without reason, itched her arm. “I think it’ll be good for me,” she continued reluctantly and looked down at the table. “I can meet some people that work in the same field and... stuff. I-... I mean, I’ll have to start doing that at some point, right?” she swallowed. “And I’d b-...”

  
“Okay,” Sam said, not letting Lara finish her sentence. The sudden sound from Sam startled Lara and she quickly looked up at her, though Sam was already playing with her food again.

  
“You can come with me, if you’d like,” Lara replied, nervously shifting on her seat. Now her heart was pounding in her throat. After what seemed like an eternity, Sam firmly shook her head, to Lara’s delight. “Are you sure?” Lara bit her lip. She really didn’t want Sam to know she wanted to go alone. Please say no, please say no, please say no.

  
“Eh, that’s your thing, Lara,” Sam groaned as she suddenly stood up. “Plus, I don’t feel like listening to a lot of boring people speak about a lot of boring things.” Thank God. Sam probably said that to offend her, but Lara didn’t care. She’d much rather listen to boring people for three days than stay here.

Sam walked towards the bin and threw her food away. She had gotten skilled at that the last few weeks, and flung the contents of the whole plate into the bin in one swipe without even looking. Lara still prepared food for Sam, hoping that one day she would start eating properly again. As if that would be the source of Sam her behavior. Sam didn’t cook anymore. Then again, she didn’t really do anything anymore. She just sits on the couch playing with her phone or watch TV. Or sleep.

  
“I’ll be leaving on Sunday,” Lara said as she got up, as well. She didn’t have to clean up her plates, or the pans, or, well, anything because she already had. About 30 minutes ago when she was finished with her food. She’d leave Sam alone at the table playing with her food, but that would mean an entire evening of fighting, again. Sam left her plate on the kitchen counter rather than putting it in the dishwasher, as Lara had requested about 79 billion times by now, and walked away towards the living area. Lara wisely decided to ignore it to avoid unnecessary confrontation. She sighed. It was so tiresome to constantly watch her words and actions just to avoid Sam getting angry, sad or scared. Soul-crushing, was probably a better word for it. Lara wasn’t really sure how much longer she was able to put up with Sam her behavior. She had tried to help Sam. Of course she did. But nothing helped. It didn’t help that she told Sam she was there for her, or that she needed professional help. It was useless to confront her about it, and it was just as useless to ignore her behavior. Sam didn’t listen to Lara when she would tell her over and over again that there was really something wrong with her. It was equally horrible to see Sam so unhappy and miserable. She just wanted Sam to be happy. And, hopefully, be happy herself, too. She picked up the plate and put it in the dishwasher.

Lara remembered a night not so long ago where she was literally begging Sam to tell what was wrong with her. Sam had been mad at her for not coming home early enough after Lara had scavenged through the city trying to look for a book she needed. She’d been furious, actually. Lara didn’t really know why, but she gave up trying to make sense of it all a long time ago. They had a fight, and Sam actually came close to hitting Lara in her face, for crying out loud. It scared the hell out of her. Not so much the pain that would follow, but the fact Sam was able to do that. To actually have the heart to do that. She would rather die than to hurt Sam intentionally. Sam managed to contain herself at the last possible second, but Lara had seen the fury in her eyes. Later that same night she decided to confront Sam about it. She had been sitting in front of the TV staring at it blankly. With her cheeks still wet from her tears she begged Sam. She pleaded to tell her what was wrong. Told her that if it helped hitting her, she could. Begged her to tell her what she could do to make things better. That she yearned for answers. But it didn’t help. Nothing ever helped. There was no more emotion coming out of Sam. No more feelings. No more love.

Lara pushed some papers away and flicked on the small lamp on the messy desk she was sitting behind in the study room. Well, probably more of a library than a study room judging by the amount of books gathered in bookcases alongside the walls. Generally, Lara would spend her evenings deep in those books, but she didn’t feel like it. She never did anymore. She was feeling too depressed which killed the mood. She tried, of course. Countless times. But whenever she started reading one of her notes, one of her father's’ discoveries, or anything really, she’d get distracted by her thoughts. Her thoughts about Sam and what had gone wrong. Not just when she had attacked someone and got arrested, but before that, as well. It was noticeable how Sam’s mental health was deteriorating over time. Getting worse every single day. It wasn’t that noticeable when they first left Yamatai, but over the course of the following months, it got more obvious every day that something was dreadfully wrong with Sam. She had hoped it would have gotten better when Sam got fired from the mental institute, but it wasn’t. It had gotten worse. And there was nothing Lara could do about it.  
Lara fetched her laptop and put it in front of her, on the desk. After booting it up, she went to the email she had read earlier today from Professor Atkins.

_From: Prof. Atkins_  
_Subject: RE: GAC Rome_

_Lara, I still didn’t get a reply from you. Are you sure you don’t want to come? I’ve told you about the “Myths and Legend” panel we’re holding in the C-wing this time, right? I think you should come, my dear. It will be good for you._

_A._

Professor Atkins teaches Classical Archeology at Oxford University. Lara’s father, Richard Croft, had actually been a student of Professor Atkins. That should give a rough indication of how old Professor Atkins was at this point. Atkins had always admired her father for his determination and perseverance. And even when all archeological and historical institutes, newspapers and even Lara herself discredited him, Atkins still stood firmly behind him. Lara closed her eyes for a moment. She really didn’t want to think about her father. Not now, anyway.

_To: Prof. Atkins_  
_Subject: RE: GAC Rome_

_Dear Professor Atkins,_

_I do apologize for my late reply; I have not been feeling well lately. All better now so it would be an absolute honor to attend the Global Archeology Congress next week._

_Do you know who will be speaking at the Myths and Legends panel?_

_Regards,_

_Lara Croft_

She stared at the email for a few minutes. Was this really the right thing to do? Leave Sam in the state she was in, even if it was only for three days? Though, in fairness, Lara had tried everything she could for Sam for the past few months. She tried to be there for her every single day. But maybe that was the problem. Maybe the solution was a bit of time apart? Who knows, perhaps the solution was permanent time apart. She decided to hit the send button. Then, she spent some time booking her flight and transportation from the airport, until a notification popped up in the lower right corner of her screen. She clicked on it. It was a reply from Atkins.

_From: Prof. Atkins_  
_Subject: RE: GAC Rome_

_Great to hear, Lara! I’m looking forward to seeing you again. I won’t be attending the first day, but I’ll be arriving on Tuesday._

_We currently have three speakers planned for the Myths and Legends panel; Prof. Vijfhart, Prof. Francis and Prof. Stein. Perhaps you’ve met them before?_

_A._

She hadn’t met any of them, actually. Hell, she had never even heard of them before. Maybe that was another good reason to go; to get some networking done in her field. Just before she got lost in her own thoughts about how she’d neglected getting involved in her father’s field, her phone buzzed. She reached for her pocked and got it out. It was a text from Jonah.

_**Jonah** : Little bird, hey. What’s up?_

_**Lara** : About to head to bed. You?_

_**Jonah** : Are you not feeling well?_

_**Lara** : Why?_

_**Jonah** : It’s not even 9PM?_

_**Lara** : Just tired._

_**Jonah** : OK...can we meet?_

_**Lara** : Now?_

_**Jonah** : Whenever. I haven’t seen you in such a long while. And you never talk to me anymore, little bird._

Lara looked away from the screen for a second. He was right, she never contacted him anymore. She knew why, but she didn’t want to tell him. It’d be best if he would be kept out of this drama.

_**Lara:** I’m busy this week. Next week, as well._

_**Jonah** : With what? Can I help?_

_**Lara** : Going to Rome. GAC._

_**Jonah** : You’re so vague, Lara. What’s GAC? When are you going? Is Sam coming?_

_**Lara** : Just an event, Jonah. About archaeology. It’s next week. And no, Sam isn’t coming._

Lara sighed as she pressed send again. She knew Jonah was just worried about her, but she just wanted to be left alone.

_**Jonah** : Week after that, then. Let’s meet then?_

_**Lara** : OK._

Her phone buzzed one more time, but she locked it, and put it back into her pocket. She leaned back in the soft leather chair and sighed. Time for bed. There wasn’t really a reason to stay awake anymore, anyway. She was actually starting to look forward to the congress in Rome. Hopefully Sunday would come quickly. Just as she wanted to get up from her chair, the door to the study room opened. Lara held her breath as Sam stepped inside. Lara could see her eyes were red, as was the skin around her eyes. She had been crying. Lara waited for her to say something, but Sam was just staring at her.

  
“Sam? A-are you okay…?” Lara asked hesitantly, slowly getting up from her chair. She had her eyes fixed on Sam. She never really knew how to handle situations like these, but braced herself for the worst.

  
“I can’t believe you’re fucking leaving me!” Sam yelled angrily as she pointed at Lara, her finger trembling. Lara should’ve been surprised, anyone would, but she’d seen this happen many times before. It was scary, really. These nasty moods would never happen before Sam had her mental breakdown, obviously. Before, Sam was just… Sam. It was hard to describe her. She was just everything Lara needed her to be. The old Sam, anyway. Not this one.

  
“What do you mean? I’m… I’m right here… I’m not leaving you,” Lara replied. She decided the best approach would be a calm one. She was probably having one of her episodes. “Seriously, Sam,” Lara continued as she slowly paced towards her. She could see, and hear, Sam breathing heavily, as her chest moved up and down. There was a sense of terror in the air, as if something was about to go horribly wrong. Lara felt it. “I’m here for you. Always.” She put her hands on Sam’s cheeks as she reached her and wiped away a tear with her thumb.

  
“No!” Sam pushed her hands away. Her sudden outburst made Lara’s muscles tense up, a very common reflex for her at this point. She barely managed to keep herself from getting in a fighting stance. Sam was definitely having one of her episodes. “You’re going to leave me, I know it!” She took a step back and looked at Lara as if she had done something horrible to her. A look Lara had seen before, unfortunately.

  
“You aren’t talking about me going to Rome, right? That’s only for three days..,” Lara replied, though her words barely made it out of her mouth.

  
“Are you kidding me? We used to do everything together!” Sam growled, as her eyes lit up with fury. “And suddenly, you decide to go alone to some stupid congress about stupid things!”

  
“W-... what?” Lara stuttered dumbfounded. She frowned and raised her finger at Sam. “I asked you if you wanted to come, but you said no! Not even three hours ago! What’s wrong with you?!” Lara yelled frustrated. Frustrated with the fact this happened every other week. Frustrated that, every time it did happen, it was always Lara’s fault, somehow. This wasn’t the Sam she fell in love with. Sadness and anger filled her body. Lara felt like she was ready to storm out the door and just leave now. Leave and not come back. Although those feelings quickly disappeared when Sam stepped forward and swiftly pressed her lips against Lara’s. The suddenness of the situation left Lara bewildered and made her unable to react straight away as Sam’s lips softly greeted her own. The anger in her body quickly made place for an electric feeling that soared through Lara her veins. Sam moved her left hand to Lara’s cheek as the other hand moved to her side. Lara’s eyes were still wide open as Sam parted her lips slightly. The combination of the adrenaline still in her body from Sam’s outburst and endorphin from the sudden kissing made Lara her entire body heat up. Her heart was racing as Sam pushed her back until Lara’s butt reached the desk she had just been sitting behind. It was crazy how quickly Sam managed to swing the mood around. She finally kissed back when she felt Sam’s tongue make its way into her mouth. Lara wanted to put her arms around her, but she was pushed onto the table as Sam took charge, completely disregarding all of the notes, journals and papers lying on the table. Lara was now laying on her back on the table but with her feet still on the floor, and Sam leaned over her to continue her sensual and affectionate attack on Lara. The swirling of their bodies and limbs caused papers to fall off left and right. A million thoughts ran through Lara her mind when Sam her fingers lifted up Lara her shirt and traced fingers over her ribs. The desk was old, and creaked with every movement their intertwined bodies made. Goosebumps formed on her skin. Sam accidentally knocked over a box next to the desk. Books tumbled out, but neither of the girls paid attention. Their kiss was sloppy, and sexy, their lips now wet from their exchanged saliva. Lara was pretty much out of breath after a full minute, but she didn’t want to stop kissing. She never wanted to stop again. Sam ran her fingers across her bare stomach, slowly following the contours of Lara her abdominal muscles, which were slightly more prominent than usual because she was leaning backwards. Lara managed to let out a moan through their kissing. After a few seconds, Sam her fingers reached the waistband of the jeans Lara was wearing and teasingly lingered there for a while, slowly caressing Lara’s skin, as the girls continued their oral embrace.

It hadn’t taken long for Sam and Lara to have sex after they got together as a couple. They were on vacation. Sam had wanted to go to a place where the beaches were white and the climate was tropical, and in contrast, Lara wanted to go sightseeing. They decided to meet somewhere in the middle and go to Key West, with white beaches and a tropical climate. And no sightseeing... Obviously. Though, it didn’t turn out as bad as Lara initially thought. For starters, she got to see Sam in a bikini constantly. Plus, the beaches weren’t that bad. One night they were around a campfire at the beach. It was late and most people had already left. The girls their conversation had shifted to their friendship. Maybe it was the liquor, maybe it was the warm weather, maybe it was the constant bikini’s, whatever it was Sam had finally confessed. Confessed what she felt about Lara and how she couldn’t imagine a life without her. Confessed that she thought about Lara constantly and that she didn’t want that to change, ever. And Lara told her those feelings were mutual. And she was certain the bikini’s and liquor had absolutely nothing to do with that.

That same night, back in their bungalow, they had sex. It was frightening at first. Terribly frightening. She remembered how much she was shaking, and, same as the moment Lara found herself in now, a million thoughts had ran through her mind. Was it a good idea? Did she actually want this? Was it was too soon? But when Sam her tongue finally reached her nether region, after trailing, very slowly and very teasingly, across her naked body, nothing else in the world mattered anymore. It was so good there wasn’t a chance in the world Lara could describe it. Not with words, anyway. All the feelings of guilt, tension, panic and doubt washed away and made place for pure ecstasy, lust and pleasure. It felt then as if they belonged there, naked on the bed, their sweaty bodies squirming and sliding against each other. And the next morning, when Lara was getting dressed, Sam had asked her not to. She asked her stay naked and in bed. She said she wanted to touch her body. Everywhere. She wanted to explore her entirely and make sure not an inch on her body was skipped. She said she couldn’t keep her hands off of her anymore. That she just looked too good not to. Then she put her words into action and Lara eagerly returned the favour. The entire morning and early afternoon was spent touching each other, cuddling and exploring. Sam was a little dominant in bed, but so loving, and so caring. Then, finally, in the early evening, they talked. Talked about everything that came up in their minds. About the doubt they had at first, about their friendship, about the past, about the future… about everything. But the way Sam looked at Lara, the way she touched her and talked to her made Lara confident that this wasn’t a mistake. It had been the best decision in her life.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last. Sam changed. She became depressed, angry and bitterness took control of her. In the last few months, the sex was almost non-existent. Just once in awhile Sam would want to have sex. Completely out of the blue and in the most bizarre situations. The loving and caring was gone. Lara never minded the sex, hell, the sex was amazing. She just never expected it to be void of caring. Or love.

Lara was snapped back to reality when she felt Sam pull back from her lips and at the same time move her hand downwards, into her pair of boxers. Since Lara was laying backwards on the table, the waistband of her jeans was lifted up slightly because of her hip bones, so Sam had no trouble reaching her crotch. Lara gasped and jolts of electricity shot through her as she laid her head on the table. With her other hand Sam grabbed both Lara’s hands and pinned them above her head on the table she was laying on. Sam grinned. She recognized the grin. Sam, standing next to the table, moved her face directly above Lara’s, not even an inch above her lips. Such a mischievous and naughty grin. Sam placed her index and middle finger on either side of Lara her vagina, close enough to make her moan, but not close enough to satisfy.

  
“Ah,” was the only sound Lara could utter in Sam’s mouth and she closed her eyes.

  
“I can already feel how wet you are,” Sam discovered. “Do you want me to touch you?” she asked lustfully. “Do you want me to slide a finger inside you, Lara? Is that what you want?”

  
“P-please. Yes... please,” Lara groaned, her muscles tensing. God, she was so horny now. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. As was her groin.

  
“Ask nicely,” Sam demanded. Lara opened her eyes again and they were met with Sam’s, looking at hers playfully. Lara her heart nearly pounded her chest open. The jolts of electricity intensified and she balled her fists and curled her toes in anticipation.

  
“Please… Please, slide your finger inside me,” Lara sighed. She had a hard time getting the words out of her mouth. Sam always said Lara was a bit prude, because she rarely liked to dirty talk. But that meant it was even hotter when Sam made her do it. Lara moaned even harder when she felt Sam her finger penetrate her. They kept looking each other directly in the eyes, as if studying each other's facial expressions, as Sam’s finger slowly moved in and out of her, Lara still moaning softly in Sam’s face. Lara was so wet even the littlest movement inside her made slippery sounds. She tried to kiss Sam, but Sam pulled back. Lara pouted.

  
“I want to see your face react to this,” Sam explained slyly, as she continued to finger Lara. She moved her other finger, Lara didn’t know which one of the two, to Lara’s clitoris and teasingly placed it on top of it. Lara shut her eyes in response, her entire body now left like it was on fire.

  
“Oh...Oh my God, Sam,” Lara could barely make her words audible. She felt a familiar feeling build up in her crotch. She wanted to touch Sam. She wanted to have her naked body against her own. She tried to move her arms, but Sam kept them pinned down. Lara was stronger, and could probably break free without too much effort, but she didn’t. She loved it when Sam took control. Lara’s body temperature was reaching what felt like a boiling point when Sam retracted her fingers. It was met with a disappointed growl from Lara. Sam slowly removed her hand from Lara her jeans, but kept her other hand in place to keep Lara pinned down. Lara was filled with lust. She wanted to cum. Her head was spinning. She wanted to cum now. Sam held her hand up and they both looked at it. Evidently, Sam had used her middle finger inside Lara because it was completely covered in her wetness, glistening in the light of the desk lamp. Sam played with her wetness for a while. A little even dripped off her finger and landed near Lara’s belly button.

  
“You’re so naughty,” Sam said playfully.

  
“Please, Sam…,” Lara managed to moan.

  
“Please what?” Sam asked, pseudo-confused.

  
“Finger me more, make me cum, please…,” Lara begged as her body squirmed on the table. But Sam didn’t listen. She grinned even wider than before and moved her fingers towards her own mouth. Slowly and seductively she slid her finger inside her own mouth before closing her lips around it and sucking Lara’s wetness off. Lara could just look at her. Look how her lips slightly parted, cheeks red as ever. Look at how her girlfriend was tasting her wetness. Tasting the finger that was inside of her not ten seconds ago.

  
“God, you always taste so nice,” she whispered as she retracted her finger again.

  
“Make me cum, please?” Lara pleaded immediately, and pouted.

  
“Do you want a taste?” Sam ignored her. Lara knew straight away what that meant; she was just teasing her. She loved teasing Lara. She loved long sex sessions, loved dragging it out. And Lara couldn’t help but love it, too.

  
“Yes,” Lara answered obediently. Lara didn’t hate tasting herself, but she wouldn’t do it on her own. However, she knew that if she said yes, Sam would have to be inside her again. Even if it was briefly, Lara could hardly take it anymore. Sam grinned at her answer and quickly moved her hand back to her heated groin. Within a split second her finger was inside of her again, which nearly sent Lara over the edge, her thigh muscles tightening. Every single time Lara was surprised how quickly Sam could make her feel like this. Unfortunately for Lara, the finger was gone as quickly as it had entered her. Lara was so wet it didn’t take more than a second to completely drench Sam’s finger. Sam removed her hand from her panties once more and then held her finger above Lara’s face.

  
“Open your mouth,” Sam commanded, and Lara did so, eagerly awaiting her next move. Sam lowered her finger in her mouth and looked closely as Lara sucked it clean. Lara her mind was all over the place. The naughtiness of tasting herself, of being pinned down by Sam, and being so horny drove her insane. She wanted to cum so badly. Sweat had formed all over her body. Her breathing had gotten irregular and the air around them just screamed sex.

  
“I want more,” Lara whispered. Lara couldn’t wait for the next step. To get undressed and feel the heat of Sam her body against her own.

  
“Fuck off,” Sam suddenly said, stepping away from the desk. Her face had gone blank as thunder on a clear day. Fury raged in her eyes once more.

  
“W-what?” Lara asked, dazed. She tried to get up from the table but Sam leaped forward again, grabbed her by her throat and pushed her back down. Lara landed back on the table with a thud. She instantly went in survival mode and was ready to take her assailant down, muscles tensed and neck hair raised. But she managed to keep her instinct at bay, kind of, at the last possible second. Partly because Sam’s grip wasn’t too strong, and she could still easily breath, and partly because she was scared out of her mind. Way more than when any Trinity soldier had made her. This was her best friend. Her girlfriend. Sam. Why is she doing this? Why did she become like this? “Sam. Stop, please.” A tear ran over Lara her cheek and made a spot on one of the notes she was laying on. Her excitement and lust disappeared like snow for the sun. Horror had replaced it. Sam stared at her. The raging fury in her eyes seemed to grow and she tightened her grip around her throat.

  
“You’re mine,” Sam hissed, suddenly. And all Lara could do was look at her, terrified with big teary eyes. Sam moved her face close to Lara’s again. But this time it wasn’t hot, or sexy. This time it was horrifying. Lara’s heart was still pounding in her chest, but now for a completely different reason. Lara’s hands gripped the hand that surrounded her throat.. “Don’t you ever forget that, Croft,” Sam showed her teeth.

  
“Sam…,” Lara couldn’t really speak properly anymore. Her air supply dwindled, as Sam’s grip continued to tighten. Lara was now ready to fight back. She could no longer hold back her instinct. Her survival mode. She kicked her heels against the desk ready to push up, but before she could do so, Sam let go. Lara reached for her sore throat and gasped for air. Tears ran over her face as Lara looked up at the ceiling. She didn’t dare look at Sam. She couldn’t take this anymore.

  
“I’m sorry,” Sam said pragmatically. Lara didn’t look at her. She listened as Sam left and close the door behind her. Lara lay still on the desk for quite a while, trying to hold back a panic attack, heaving for air. It took her a couple of minutes to calm down. After awhile, she got up and started cleaning up the scattered papers around the desk, tears running down her face, ruining quite a few of them. Just another day.


	2. 2

“ _BA 1957 departing to Rome is ready to be boarded. Please proceed to Gate A5_ ,” a female announcer called. The voice rose above all the buzzing from the large crowd of people at the airport. Lara was already at the gate. She’d been there for over two hours, actually. She wanted to make damn sure she didn’t miss this flight. When she heard the announcement she jumped up straight away. She swung her backpack over her shoulder and made her way to the already formed queue in front of the boarding pass reader. Her trusty old backpack was the only thing she took. She had it since the first day of college. She bought it with the money she made working at the Nine Bells, which seemed like an eternity ago. It was a very good quality backpack, though, the years of heavy usage were starting to show its toll. The logo was torn off from when it had gotten stuck behind a tree branch in a forest in Northern Ireland. One of the two zipper pulls was broken off from when it had fallen off a cliff in the States. It even had a gunshot on the left side, which was sewed closed rather unprofessionally. The gunshot wasn’t really an exciting story to tell. It was actually Sam who did it. Not on purpose mind you, though it was quite the shock. Lara was cleaning out her backpack when Sam had picked up her gun, and as she was admiring it she fired it accidentally and the bullet penetrated the backpack and the wooden table it was on. After both of them calmed down from the shock, Lara was flooded with about 5 million apologies before night fell. Lara smiled as she remembered Sam’s puppy eyes, begging her for forgiveness. Back when she was still Sam. The backpack was filled up with clothes for three days and some necessities which a hotel doesn’t provide, but that was it. She didn’t really need anything more; she was only staying for three days. Unfortunately. Lara held her boarding pass in front of the reader and with a beep, the little glass gate swung open. A guard nodded at her as she made her way to through the tube connecting to the plane.

“Welcome aboard!” The usual overly enthusiastic crew greeted her at the plane’s entrance. She looked at her boarding pass for the 86th time. Unsurprisingly, her seat hadn’t changed since the first 85 times she looked. 12F. Window seat. She looked up to see if anyone was already sitting in the 12th row, but it was empty. She made her way to her seat and put her backpack in the overhead compartment. With a thud she sat down and took a deep breath, closed her eyes and leaned her head against the headrest. Finally. Sunday had took an eternity to come by, but it was finally here. At last she’d get out of the manor for a little bit. She could focus on something she liked again, without a constant threat of abuse, mentally and physically. It was wonderful. She actually started to feel better already. Sam still didn’t particularly agree with her going, but Lara managed to calm her down to the point where she wouldn’t barricade the door. Or murder her or something. She’d deal with the aftermath after she’d return, though she really didn’t want to think about that now. She distracted herself by looking at the people slowly filling up all the seats in the plane. It was always intriguing to watch other people. Each and every single individual with their own life story to tell. Their own experiences, and troubles. An older man greeted her as he took place on the aisle seat, leaving an empty chair in between them. Lara wondered who would be sitting next to her. Hopefully not someone with a small child who couldn’t keep quiet. Or someone who smelled really bad. Lara made a face, as she remembered an unpleasant previous experience. As the stream of people coming into the plane slowly came to a halt, Lara was delighted to see the seat next to her was still empty. More room for her, no smelling, or yelling children. But just as she wanted to pull up the arm rest dividing her seat and the empty one, a woman threw her bag in the overhead compartment above the 12th row. Dammit. The woman smiled at Lara as she sat down next to her. Lara smiled back. At least she didn’t smell bad. Lara was looking out the small window. She was hating herself for not packing anything to read. Of course she couldn’t sleep through the two and a half hour flight; she could barely sleep at home. She fiddled with the green pendant around her neck and looked at the watch she was wearing and immediately sighed. It had felt like she was in the air for half a day already, but only an hour had passed. 90 minutes to go, what a drag.

“You’re Lara Croft, aren’t you?” Lara looked up sheepishly. The woman next to her had spoken. She had almost forgotten there were other people on the plane.

“Uhm… yes,” Lara smiled awkwardly. She shouldn’t be surprised that she was recognized. After her story about what happened on Yamatai went viral with the press, she was in the tabloids for weeks. Discredited, going after her father, delusional, insane, crazy. All kinds of nice things.

“I’m Claire,” the woman said and held out her hand. She was, Lara estimated, in her mid thirties. Her black hair was tied in a knot. She looked to be quite tall, as well, as Lara had to look up slightly to meet her eyes. Cautiously, she shook the woman her hand. She wasn’t really sure what to think of this. “Nice to meet you. I’ve read some stories about you,” she said and Lara half expected a laugh, or a chuckle. Or a grin, at the very least. But the woman just kept a straight, friendly face. “Quite interesting stories, I’ll be honest,” she added.

“Thank you?” Lara muttered, really unsure what to add to this conversation.

“Are you going to do anything fun in Rome?”

“I hope so,” Lara said. She wasn’t sure what she preferred. 90 minutes of staring out of the window, or having this conversation with a complete stranger. Probably the window, she thought. Luckily, the woman realised she was making Lara feel uncomfortable and cut the conversation short.

“Well, whatever you’re doing, I do hope you have some fun. It’s important to have some fun in your life, you know?” she said with a sincere voice. Lara nodded and the woman continued reading the magazine she was still holding.

Fun. When was the last time she had any of that? She closed her eyes and her mind automatically switched to Sam. Of course it did. It always did. She remembered meeting Sam for the first time. Her hair was different back then. It was cute. Sam used to take her camera everywhere. Literally everywhere, she even slept with it under her pillow. A smile appeared on Lara’s face as she leaned back against the uncomfortable plane seat. What a simple life it was back then. Then that smile quickly disappeared again when she realized what situation they were in now. She took another look at her watch. 82 minutes to go. Fuck me. Lara opened her eyes again, after falling asleep miraculously, and looked around. She blinked as it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She felt woozy. As if she had slept for a week straight. The plane was completely dark. It was dark out of the windows, and all the lights in the plane were turned off. Obviously, it was in the middle of the night and they turned off all the lights so people could sleep, Lara thought to herself. Lara closed her eyes again, hoping to sleep through the rest of the flight. Then she quickly opened her eyes again when she realized she was on a two and a half hour flight from London to Rome which left at 2PM on a sunny day. She quickly looked around and to her horror everyone was gone. She was completely alone. She looked out the window, but couldn’t make out if they were still flying. It was pitch black outside. There were no stars, no clouds, no nothing. She quickly undid her seat belt and wanted to get up, but was grabbed by an arm around her neck from someone in the chair behind her.

“I told you what would happen if you left me,” a voice behind her whispered in her ear as she was violently pulled back into the chair. It was Sam’s voice. Lara went into panic mode. Did she follow her? How did she get on the plane? Where was the plane now? Suddenly she felt the cold metal of a large knife press against her throat. She started struggling but she wasn’t getting anywhere. Sam was too strong, her grip around her neck holding her tightly against the chair.

“Sam!” Lara screamed. “Stop, please! What are you doing?!” Lara wailed. She was trying everything to get away. Swinging her arms pointlessly behind her hoping to hit Sam, scratching her arm, pushing herself off from the chair front of her with all her might. Nothing helped. She was powerless. Sam directed the point of the knife against the beating artery in her neck. Lara wanted to scream once more, but the cold metal penetrated her skin and her artery. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. The touch of metal on flesh was ghastly and the warm blood pouring out, making a huge mess of her clothes sent chills and shivers down her spine. Instinctively, Lara pulled on Sam’s wrist to stop her, but she couldn’t manage to pull back her arm. Streams of blood ran from the knife over Sam’s hands onto Lara’s. It was everywhere. The metal blade continued to slice through her neck as it reached her windpipe, and slowly but surely crushed through that, too. The experience was so surreal, and Lara was so helpless that she stopped moving altogether, and her blood drenched hand lost grip on Sam’s wrist. Then, after the knife had completely pierced through Lara’s neck, she suddenly withdrew the knife and removed her hand. Blood gushed out of the wound over her clothes and through her windpipe into her lungs and stomach. She couldn’t breath anymore. Her head hung forward but was then violently pushed backwards by Sam’s hand on her forehead. Before she realized what happened, Sam took the knife and slit her throat from left to right in one fluid motion. As more blood came pouring out of Lara’s neck, soaking her clothes even more, it started to get dark in front of her eyes. It started in the corners and then slowly moved its way to the middle of her sight. She was done for. She accepted her end as her hands and head hung downwards, defeated. The tears running over her face were mixing with blood. But, just before she lost consciousness a warm hand touched her arm. She managed to look to the left of her. She was looking in the eyes of the woman that had sat next to her.

“Sorry, but the seat belt sign went on, we’re landing soon,” she said softly and pointed to the overhead display. The sign had indeed switched on. In an almost violent manner, Lara grabbed for her own neck and, as much as was possible in the airplane chair, turned around. Her neck was fine. Her clothes weren’t soaked with blood. She could still breath and the person behind her was a middle aged man looking grumpy at his iPad. With her eyes still wide open from shock she sat straight again. She was still holding her neck with both her hands. Oh my God, it was a dream. A fucking nightmare. “Bad dream?” the woman inquired, as if she could read her mind. Lara didn’t respond, but was just breathing like she was just had just ran a marathon. Lara did her best to fight back tears, but she couldn’t help her eyes getting watery. It had been months and months since she had a dream so vividly, and so hair-raisingly horrible.

“Ma’am?” a stewardess said and Lara quickly turned her head. “Could you please put on your seatbelt.” Lara gawked at her, slowly lowering her hands from her neck. “We’re beginning our descent,” she added impatiently.

“Y-yes… Yes. Yes, sorry,” Lara stammered as she clumsily fastened her seat belt. Normally, Lara would enjoy looking at the small houses and cars getting bigger every second during a descend. Now she just gazed at the chair in front of her. What the hell just happened? That nightmare was way too vivid.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” the woman asked. Lara clenched her jaw. Couldn’t she just leave her alone? She turned her head to face the woman. She had a very professor-y look about her. She had a concerned expression on her face. The kind of look a professor would give you when handing back your exam paper with a large red F on it. Her clothes matched that appearance, as well. She was wearing a long black skirt, with a red businesslike button up shirt. Her glasses and knotted up hair completed the picture.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Lara snapped at her, though she didn’t mean to sound so pissed off. “Sorry, eh… Claire was it? Just a very bad dream,” she added quickly and did her best to smile, though it probably looked half-assed.

“Yes, Claire,” the concerned look went away, and made place for a gentle smile. “Quite vividly, I imagine?” Claire asked and Lara her face went red.

“Oh God, I made a fool of myself, didn’t I?” Lara groaned, placing her face in her hands.

“Nothing of the sort,” Claire reassured her, “you just look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Not really. I’ve seen enough ghosts in my life to not be scared of them anymore.” Lara remarked, but immediately regretted saying that. She sometimes forgets rarely anybody believes her stories.

“I can imagine,” Claire said, to Lara her surprise. Her smile turned warmer. Lara felt kinda bad for snapping at her. “I must say, I’m quite impressed with how you handled the situation on your return from Yamatai,” she continued, trying to shift the subject a little.

“What situation?” Lara asked, a little unsure, still reeling from her nightmare.

“Well, your father had some issues with, shall we say, convincing the world of the factual truth of his findings, correct?”

“Right,” Lara concurred.

“So, after your father passed, instead of you claiming the family fortune and living out a life as a rather comfortable hermit, you set out on your own. Stepping in your father’s shoes, so to say. And, more admirably, when you found out your dad was right all along, you didn’t hide away. You didn’t conceal your findings knowing what the world would think of you when you’d publish them. You did it anyway. And you did it well,” Claire said firmly. Lara couldn’t quite put a finger on her accent. It sounded British mostly, but there was a hint of something exotic.

“Uh…,” Lara stuttered, not really knowing what to say to that. “Most tabloid readers don’t really find me admirable. More like crazy and insane,” Lara said and Claire laughed.

“Most tabloid readers are clueless,” Claire pointed out.

“Where else would you read about me?”

“Your own work, for starters.”

“And you believe what I wrote?” Lara asked doubtfully.

“I was talking about the fact that I find the way you handled everything quite admirably.”

“Way to dodge the question,” Lara snorted, unsurprised.

“Whether or not someone would believe your stories or not shouldn’t be the drive for you to do it. It’s about doing the right thing. For yourself. Anyway, I hope I didn’t creep you out. I like reading, and your stories are quite interesting, to say the least.”

“No… No, you didn’t creep me out. It’s fine,” Lara averted her eyes.

Practically no one had believed her when she published her work. But why did that bother her so much? Why would she even care what other people thought? Why would she care what her so-called colleagues thought of her, her father or her family? This woman had a point. She followed her father’s footsteps, but not only in the way of being an explorer. She looked out the small window next to her. Judging by the little houses and cars getting bigger, they were landing soon.

Even though the AC wasn’t working on the hot summer day, Lara’s mood changed for the better on the cab ride to the hotel. Lara had been in Rome countless of times, but she never stopped being excited whenever she’d go there. The history in this city was immense. The things to learn infinite. The places to visit endless. Pure, and unending joy. For the most part, anyway. When Lara had booked her hotel she had went for a somewhat cheaper option. Sam hated her for it. Sam always wanted to go to the Hilton, or any equivalent of an overpriced super-fancy hotel. One of those hotels where the waiters and waitresses were so efficient you couldn’t even finish your drink before they refilled it again. Lara didn’t mind the fanciness, though. What she did mind, however, was wasting family money. She grasped the fact it was hers now, but it always felt wrong to spend it on things she didn’t really need. As if she was disrespecting her family somehow. Though the hotel was cheap, it was located near to the Colosseum. Lara had been there about a trillion times before, obviously, but visiting the Colosseum whenever she was in Rome had turned into some sort of tradition. This time it wouldn’t be any different. When she arrived at the lobby there was a very young man at the reception. He looked rather uninterested in life, and made no effort to greet Lara when she reached him.

“Hello,” Lara said, as a drop of sweat rolled over her forehead. No AC in the lobby. Let’s hope the room had one, but she was doubtful. When the boy looked up from his phone, she saw the young man was actually a boy. No way was he any older than 18. “I’m here to check in?”

“Nome?” The boy asked in Italian after immediately returning his gaze to his phone. A humming fan on the side pointed towards the boy. As Lara looked enviously at the fan, she gave her name and the boy handed her a key without saying anything else. She didn’t really feel like asking him anymore, so she went on her way.

Her room number, 416, indicated her room must be on the fourth floor. After finding the rather dodgy and unstable elevator and getting to the fourth floor, she managed to find her room. Opening the door revealed a simple and small room, which was hotter than the average oven, unfortunately. Lara desperately looked for an AC unit in the room, but gave up defeated after a few minutes. The bed was made and the room looked clean, at least. She took a quick glance in the bathroom, but that didn’t seem like it had been cleaned thoroughly. Shit. She should follow Sam’s advice more and “spend some of that daddy money” sometimes, she thought. Oh well, no matter. She’d spend most of her time outside of this room, anyway. She fidgeted through her backpack and exchanged her cargo pants for a pair of beige capri pants. Then she put the rest of her clothes in the closet adjacent to the bed, flung the empty backpack over her shoulder and headed out. She glanced at her watch as she walked out the hotel. 7PM. Time for some dinner.

“Taxi!” She yelled as one drove by. It was a very warm evening. Humid, too. But the food in the restaurant she picked out made up for that, it really was that good. Then again, it’d be pretty hard to find a restaurant in Rome where the food was shit. It was almost 9:30PM when she finished her food and decided to head back to the hotel. Instead of getting a cab, she made the decision to walk back. Take in some of Rome while she was here. She knew Via Di San Gregorio, a street adjacent to the Colosseum, would lead to her hotel. Lara admired the view as she walked by the colossal structure. It was so beautiful, especially at night. The way they had illuminated the building was breathtaking, Lara thought, even though she had seen it so many times before. She stopped and leant against the fence that separated the sidewalk and the grass field towards the Colosseum. A few people walked passed her laughing and talking, but Lara didn’t pay any attention to them. She was just leaning against the fence, admiring the ancient architecture, reliving memories of her own past. Her recent past, as well. She couldn’t resist a smile as she remembered how, some years ago, Sam and her actually broke into the Colosseum at night. They had spent the evening, and most of the night in Rome getting more than a little tipsy, which was a rare occasion for Lara. It was Sam’s idea, obviously, but Lara didn’t protest for more than a minute. They had jumped over the fence, sneaked past one security guard and ran inside. They were surprised at the lack of security, but their little adventure was short lived. Another guard inside had spotted them and they ran away as fast as they could as tears ran over their cheeks from laughing.

“Oh, fuck,” she yelped out loud as she suddenly remembered Sam. She hadn’t even let her know she arrived safely. She quickly grabbed her phone and unlocked it. No texts from Sam. Was that good or bad news?

_**Lara** : Hey honey, how’re you? I arrived in Rome okay. Standing in front of the Colosseum right now. Remember that half-drunken night we broke in there? Love u x._

She stared at the screen for a minute before hitting the send button. When Sam didn’t reply straight away, Lara figured she might be asleep already and decided to make her way back to the hotel. Lara had hoped the hotel, specifically her room, had cooled down at least a bit. Disappointment flooded her when she nearly suffocated from the heat as she stepped into her room. She sighed, and went to brush her teeth. Then, she took of her clothes and flung herself onto the bed. The very, very hard bed she painfully discovered. She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the next day. Hopefully, it would be a good one, because if it wasn’t, she sure as hell wouldn’t spend another night in this hotel, she thought to herself. She had started to doze off when her phone made a noise and vibrated on the nightstand. It was a text from Sam.

_**Sam** : I’m fine. Did you forget sending me a text?? Thought you landed at 4PM ish…?_

_**Lara** : Yeah, sorry. I went to have dinner first… What are you doing? _

_**Sam** : Don’t change the subject. Why did you forget about me the moment you stepped into another country…?_

_**Lara** : Sam… you know I didn’t forget about you. I just didn’t think of texting you. It was super hot and the hotel is pretty crappy._

_**Lara** bit her lip, hoping the mention of the crappy hotel would be enough to change the subject. If it wasn’t, she knew exactly where this was going._

_**Sam** : Told you. Spend some money next time, cheapo. _

Thank God.

_**Lara** : Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re right... What are you up to? I miss you. _

_**Sam** : I miss u2. I’m just laying in bed. Don’t feel so well._

_**Lara** : Why? What’s up? _

_**Sam** : Lonely. _

_**Lara** : I’m sorry, cutie... I’ll be home in just a few days. _

Lara wasn’t really sorry. Sam rarely wanted to be around her anymore and now, within 12 hours, she’s lonely?

_**Sam** : I guess._

_**Lara** : We’ll go somewhere? Some place sunny. When I get back. _

_**Sam** : Can’t I come to Rome?_

Lara’s stomach twisted. “Oh, please don’t take these 3 days away from me…,” she begged out loud.

_**Lara** : I thought you didn’t want to come? As you said, mostly boring people talking about boring things… _

_**Sam** : Ah, I get it. You don’t want me there. Fair enough. Well I’m tired anyway. Goodnight._

_**Lara** : That’s not what I meant. You’re welcome to come here, Sam. I just thought you didn’t want to. We won’t be able to do much anyway, as the congress lasts about 10 hours a day._

She lied. The congress didn’t take 10 hours a day. She just really, really didn’t want Sam to come. Lara groaned as she rolled over on her side after she put her phone back on the nightstand. Sam was so unreadable. One moment she’d be totally fine, the next moment all hell breaks loose. Sometimes she was very affectionate and the next she’d be extremely distant. One moment she’d be the happiest person on earth, the next you’d had to avoid her to make sure you wouldn’t be punched in the face. It was so tiring. Luckily, not much later, as Sam had once again consumed her thoughts, Lara managed to fall asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Lara lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling an hour before her alarm went off. With her eyes she followed the cracks in the white ceiling. Thirteen separate cracks, she had counted many times. The night hadn’t brought much solace in terms of temperature, which hadn’t helped her sleeping. She lay dead still, with her blankets kicked to the side, making sure not to move a muscle as the slightest movements would be too strenuous. The heat was so uncomfortable she had contemplated sleeping under a running cold shower several times, but was ultimately stopped by her common sense. The yellow-y stained curtains covering the only window in the room swayed a little from the rather faint breeze coming through the open window. She’d had hung her head next to it if the breeze wasn’t the same scalding hot temperature as everything else. Her mind drifted back to Siberia, where the freezing cold penetrated your bones. Where your body would not, and could not stop shaking. Where your lungs had trouble getting enough oxygen out of the cold air. Where finding a few logs to make a campfire would be the difference between the coldest night of your life, and death. Somehow she yearned for that place. Maybe just a few seconds, she thought. Just a few seconds of that biting, muscle numbing, penetrating cold. Or maybe not. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea in the world. Maybe she needed to cool down before she lost her mind.

 

When she stepped under the shower half an hour later, her mind still lingered on Siberia. The cold, the fear, the horror, the countless near death experiences. The killing. Jacob and Sofia. Konstantin and that cunt, Anna. It still made Lara’s blood boil. Anna’s betrayal. She didn’t just betray Lara, but her father too. The Croft family. And she did it all in the Croft Manor, that fucking bitch. Lara clenched her teeth and balled her fist. One part of her was glad she was dead. Murdered in cold blood, nothing less than what she deserved. Another part of her wanted her to still be alive. Not because she felt sorry for her, not at all. She just had so many questions. How did she get involved in Trinity, what exactly was Trinity and who was in charge? Apparently not Konstantin and his sister. And who murdered her? Who shot her in the icy storm and then disappeared in the vast whiteness? Was it Trinity? And  _ why  _ was she shot? Those questions had haunted her from the moment she returned to civilization. It ate at her. Made her go crazy, as she yearned for answers. But then again, when wasn’t she? Wasn’t that her entire life? Yearn for one answer, but instead of finding that answer, she gets two more questions in return. Or fifty more questions, for that matter. She couldn’t remember the last time she truly felt like her life was in order. Like she knew what she was doing. What her purpose was. She closed her eyes and let the cold water fall over her face, down her neck and her body. She wouldn’t give up, she never did. Somehow she would find those answers. Even if it meant going to the end of the world and back. Twice. But not today, she thought as she opened her eyes again and turned off the shower. Today she’s in Rome. Today, tomorrow and the day after she’d try and force those questions out of her mind, if only for a while, and have some fun. Hopefully. Finally.

 

The Congress was at the Sapienza University of Rome. It was too far to the east to walk so Lara waved down a cab.

“Sapienza Universita Di Roma, prego,” Lara said as she got inside trying her best not to sound like a usual British tourist.

“Sei uno studente?” the chubby and scruffy looking driver asked.

“No, qualcos’altro. Archeologia uh… congress?” Lara asked as she tried to remember what the Italian word for congress was.

“Ah, you are not italian. English, I think?” the driver interpreted as he drove off.

“Yes, correct,” Lara acknowledged, feeling rather silly she couldn’t even hold a conversation in Italian. 

“You pronounce Italian words very good. Not many people from United Kingdom speak Italian, you know.” 

“Thank you. I try,” Lara thanked him and smiled. “But your English is better than my Italian is,” she chuckled.

“It is because I drive lot of tourists. Everyone can speak English, you know? Very fun job,” he said enthusiastically in his distinctive Italian accent. The cab driver was very nice and during the 15 minute drive he gave her a few tips on some restaurants and places to visit. Places that tourist tours would normally skip, which, in turn, would normally be Lara’s favorites. She thanked the driver and gave him a reasonable tip as she got out. 

 

The buildings on the university campus were modern, but it seemed the architects tried to preserve some of Rome its flavor in the design. After passing the outer gates the first building Lara saw had a very large marble staircase leading up to 4 gigantic pillars holding up a distinctive Roman facade. A large buzzing crowd of people were trying to squirm through the large wooden doors. Students trying to get to their first class of the day, Lara thought to herself. She pulled out her phone and looked at the confirmation e-mail she had received from the organizers. The congress was being held at the Ancient World Studies faculty on the northeast side of campus. Luckily, attached to the email was a map with a route showing exactly where to go. 

As Lara neared the area she needed to be at, the people around her started to look older. Instead of large groups of chatting and noisy students, she was now surrounded by more mature people in nice suits and posh dresses. She looked down at her black, bare-shoulder tank top and olive green cargo pants. One part of her was glad she didn’t had to suffer as much in this heat as the people in full-on suits, but another part of her couldn’t help but feel a little underdressed. Why were these people so poshly dressed, anyway? Wasn’t this, in broad terms, a convention for people who’d like to go to remote places and dig in sand and dirt? Then again, maybe that was it. Maybe they could never really dress up nicely, and took this one opportunity to do so. It didn’t really matter, Lara thought as she shook the thought from her mind. When she reached the Ancient World Studies building she saw it had a large white and red banner hanging on the front.  _ Global Archeology Congress 2016 - Rome _ , it read. The banner was a bit silly looking, to be honest. The building was enormous and, same as the first building she noticed, Roman styled. It was mostly white with historical symbols depicted on the facade. Cleopatra, a Roman soldier helmet, the Asclepius wand, The Mano Fico, a Minotaur and much more. They were very well designed, which made the banner look even more out of place. The interior of the entrance hall was equally Roman styled with red carpets laid out over the marble floors, including out-of-place signs with information such as how late and where the seminars would be. Lara stepped out of the moving stream of people and stopped to glance at the signs. The list of different seminars, shows and lectures went on and on though, Lara had to admit, most of them sounded quite interesting. At the top of the list, for the program of that day, it read  _ Welcome and Introductions - 9:00 AM - Room A.  _ That was probably something sensible to attend. She looked at her watch which showed she had another thirty minutes to kill before it started and decided to explore the rest of the building.

Room A was the main room, Lara guessed by the size of it. The room was enormous and judging by the amount of seats, would easily accommodate more than two hundred people at once. She noticed the red fabric chairs were surprisingly comfortable as she took a seat way in the back. A podium was situated in the front of the room with a microphone placed in the middle, and behind it, a large white projection screen. Scattered alongside the edges of the room were tables with coffee, tea and some other refreshments. The room was quite rowdy as more and more people entered the room and filled up the somewhat two hundreds seats, while others helped themselves to their preferred morning nectar. Most people were, to Lara’s dismay, way older than she was. She guessed the average age of the people present around fifty. She’d probably have a hard time making friends here. Sam would’ve told her to throw in her charms.  _ Just smile, you’re gorgeous, smart and funny. People will love you,  _ she’d say. Lara never believed her when she’d say that. Charm, really? Then again, she didn’t really think highly of herself, because, if she’d be honest with herself, what had she really accomplished at life? Her life was a mess, and the only thing she seemed to be good at was making people close to her suffer. And in an attempt to stop their suffering, she’d usually just make it far worse.

“Good morning, everybody,” a stern voice echoed through the room. Lara, in her self pity, hadn’t noticed the woman walking up the podium and got startled by the sudden loud voice. Within a few seconds the buzzing sound of the crowd died down and everyone was focussing on the woman on stage. “To all the familiar faces I say, welcome once again, and thank you for joining us yet another year. I can guarantee you that this will be even greater than last year was.” The voice sounded familiar to Lara and she took a closer look at the woman. Then it hit her. It was the woman from the plane! Claire, she remembered. What a coincidence. “To all the new faces,” she took a pause to smile at everyone, “I say welcome to the Global Archeology Congress. My name is Claire Archer. Now, I’m sure that everyone here knows that archeology isn’t just digging up fossils in the sand all day. No offense, Professor Ashworth,” she added as she nodded to a man in the front row. She paused again to allow for laughter coming from all directions. “And I’m also sure most of you have looked at the program for these three days,” she continued, “so I don’t have to explain to you what we’re going to do here. What I can tell you, however, is that besides the program for this year's’ congress, we have some surprises planned for you.” Buzzing immediately broke out between several groups of people in the audience. It was a little amusing to Lara how fitting it was that the hint of a surprise at the congress for archeology would be so exciting for people. Claire kept on talking for a while explaining some important details for the next three days, and how it was all planned. Lara figured Claire was experienced in talking in front of a crowd, as she had a certain finesse while doing it. She looked extremely confident, as if she had done this many times before. She moved about on the podium, but not nervously. Just the right amount of movement, and self-assured. Her smile was warm, but bold. It was admirably, really, how she had a way to sway the audience so. “Again, thank you for joining us this year. And if you have any questions, or just fancy a chat, I’ll be around these few days, as well,” Claire said wrapping up her speech. Clapping ensued before the crowd once again set in motion towards the doors. Lara contemplated walking up to Claire to greet her, but she wasn’t sure. Wouldn’t that be weird? What would she even say?  _ Hi, I met you on the plane?  _ And why would she even want to? She shook her head and decided against it. She turned around and grabbed a leaflet from one of the tables on her way out. “Life during the accession of Jimmu, the mythical first Emperor of Japan, 9:30AM, Room D,” Lara read out loud, and decided that would be interesting enough to attend.

 

Lara was thoroughly enjoying herself during the first morning. Honestly, she hadn’t had this much interrupted fun since a long time. It was now 1PM and Lara was famished, and started making her way to the room that was marked for lunch. On her way there she saw Claire standing by herself on the side in one of halls with her back towards Lara. She recognized her by her black skirt and white blouse, and her distinctively black hair. “Of course they won’t make a move before we do, Albert,” Claire said. Lara was confused for a second before she realised she was holding a phone to her ear. “So, like I said,” Claire continued as Lara walked past her, “we wait until the market closes and then contact them directly. No. No, Albert, I honestly do not care. Make it happen.” Lara realised she was staring at her while eavesdropping when she nearly bumped into someone, but just narrowly managed to dodge him. “Sorry,” she mumbled quickly. She recovered and continued on her way as Claire drifted through her mind for another moment. 

 

Lara had expected the lunchroom to be a small room with tables filled with large piles of sandwiches piled onto one another with people grabbing them left and right. Which would be absolutely fine for Lara. But, instead, she was greeted by a large dining hall with a buffet you wouldn’t ever find in the restaurants and hotels Lara normally went to. The tables, which were situated in the middle of the room, were covered in white cloth and an abnormally large amount of food and drinks organized neatly across the long rectangular tables. Lara walked closer and took a mouth watering glance at everything. There was fish, meat, fruit, bread and even desserts, all covering at least one halve of the 8 feet long tables. She felt her stomach grumble as she walked past the different kinds of chicken, cheese, grapes, yogurt, ham, fish and much much more. 

“You look like you’ve never seen food before,” someone laughed next to her. Lara turned around, and blushed. It was a man, in a nice suit - just like everyone else, in his forties-ish.

“I just…uh,” stammered Lara, “...didn’t expect so much food here, really.” 

“What else did you expect from Miss Archer?” The man frowned, wrinkling his forehead, almost as if he found it offending that Lara would expect any less. He was holding a plate, already half filled with food, orderly placed on the porcelain.

“You mean  _ Claire  _ Archer? The woman that did the opening speech this morning?” Lara asked.

“Yes,” the man answered, “she organizes this every year. If you don’t know her, you should really ought to meet her. Very extraordinary woman.”

“Is she an archeologist, as well?” Lara inquired.

“I don’t think so. Not officially anyway,” the man said as he squinted his eyes, “though, she does have an immense interest in the field. But that’s Miss Archer for you. She has an immense interest in about any conceivable field known to man.”

“Interesting. I’ll certainly try and see if she has a free moment, thank you,” Lara concluded with a smile. The man nodded and walked off and Lara turned around to grab a plate, as well. She seized as much of the tasty food she thought she could eat and went off to find a seat at one of the many tables dotted around the sides of the large hall. Amid the large chatting crowd, with the clattering cutlery, she still couldn’t help feel a bit out of place.

 

When Lara had finished with the utterly delicious and well-made food, she reached into her pocket and took out her phone and typed Claire Archer in Google. Apparently, she wasn’t well-known enough to have her own Wikipedia page, which was a shame. As a matter of fact, there weren’t really any concrete hits, at all. There were a few Facebook and Linkedin hits but none of the profile pictures matched Claire. Bummer. Just as she wanted to lock her phone the top of the screen showed a notification. It was a text from Sam.

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ What are you doing? _

 

**_Lara:_ ** _ Hey lovely, I’m having lunch just now, actually. What are you doing? How’re you? _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ Fine. Sorry about yesterday, I just miss you a lot. _

 

**_Lara:_ ** _ It’s okay. I miss you too, Sam. Only two and a half more days and I’ll come home again. _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ You said, we’d go somewhere, yesterday. When you come back. _

 

**_Lara:_ ** _ Yes, of course! Did you think off somewhere you wanna go? _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ Yeah, to Japan. I want you to meet my dad.  _

 

Lara closed her eyes. Shit. She really didn’t want to do that. No one really knew she was… gay? Hell, she didn’t even really know what she was herself. She’d rather keep the fact she had a girlfriend private. At least for now. And she knew that wouldn’t happen if they went to Japan and met her Sam’s father. He’s not the type that would keep that sort of thing a secret.

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ Hello? _

 

**_Lara:_ ** _ Let’s talk about it when I get home? _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ So it was more like a, “we’ll go somewhere - except Japan?” _

 

**_Lara:_ ** _ It has nothing to do with Japan, Sam. _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ My dad than? What’s wrong with him. _

 

**_Lara:_ ** _ Nothing’s wrong with him, at all. Can we just talk about this when we get home, please? _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ No, what’s wrong? Why can’t we go there? Afraid someone will find out you like pussy? _

 

**_Lara:_ ** _ What the fuck, Sam… _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ What? It’s the truth, right? You don’t want people to know we fuck. _

 

**_Lara:_ ** _ I like how you so excellently describe our relationship. You don’t even want to go to Japan, do you? _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ I was just wondering why you don’t want to be seen with me. _

 

**_Lara:_ ** _ Jesus Christ. I’m going to go. Talk to you later. _

 

Lara locked her phone and slid it back into her pocket. Her phone buzzed a couple more times to let her know Sam wasn’t done with her, but Lara ignored it. Irritated, she pulled out the leaflet from her backpack so aggressively it ripped clean in half. She balled her fist and clenched her jaw trying to suppress the anger she felt at that moment, and then took a minute to try and calm down.

 

Despite Lara’s best efforts Sam lingered in her mind for the rest of the afternoon, which made her even more pissed. She’d thought she’d finally have some stress-free time, but no, of course not. Of course, Sam managed to ruin her day from across the continent. She shouldn’t even be surprised. It was as if Sam wakes up every morning and her sole purpose for the day is to ruin Lara’s. Why? During the last lecture of the day, in room D - a smaller room compared to most she was in today, she was so caught up with Sam in her mind that she couldn’t even understand what the woman on the stage was saying. Something Roman? She took a glance at the newly grabbed leaflet she was holding in her hand and frowned as she read “The Axial Age.” Okay, that has  _ nothing  _ to do with Romans, Lara thought as she sighed. Maybe it was a better idea to just leave this last session for what it was and distract herself somewhere else. All kinds of looks were thrown her way as she excused herself to all the people that had to turn their legs to let Lara through. She tried to open the doors of the room as quietly as possible and stepped outside. Then she promptly cursed under her breath when she realised she left her backpack at her seat. For a moment she contemplated just leaving the backpack here, and picking it up tomorrow, but then she remembered her hotel keycard was in it. Thus, she stepped back inside, more annoyed than she already was, and made her way back to her seat, turned around and once again, for the third time, accepted all the annoyed glances. When she was almost at the end of the row, an older man coughed and whispered, “could you please not? We’re trying to follow the lecture here, thank you.” Lara stopped dead in her tracks.

“I do apologize,” she hissed in a fake posh accent, “I’m sure the zero point five seconds you just missed were absolutely vital. I shall make sure to never cross your path again, deal?” Lara was having a go at the man at a decibel level high enough for the woman on stage to stop talking, and join the entire room to turn around and stare at her. Lara was still staring at the man, who was rather flabbergasted as he probably didn’t expect such a reaction from such a young lady. Lara realised her mistake when the entire room was suddenly completely silent. She turned around as her cheeks nearly exploded from all the blood that gathered in that area. “Sorry, I… I didn’t mean what I said,” Lara apologized softly to the man in front of her who still looked at her as he had seen a ghost. She quickly stumbled towards the exit and nearly tripped when she reached the doors. Luckily, she heard the woman continue her lecture, though she still made sure to get out of that room as quick as possible. God, was she angry now. If this would be a cartoon steam would be coming from Lara’s ears at this point. “Damn, that was bloody stupid,” she cursed out loud. She turned around and wanted to make her way to the exit, but she was interrupted.

“Not your kind of lecture?” a woman behind her inquired. Lara hastily turned around. Who had the fucking nerve to talk to her now? Claire Archer looked at her with her warm smile and walked towards her, with her confident walk. She truly had some sort of dominant aura around her. Extremely confident. “Maybe I should’ve guessed you’d be attending, but you didn’t tell me you were coming to the congress, Lara.”

“Nor did you,” Lara snarled. Could she have possibly caught her at a worse time?

“Well, it truly is a pleasure seeing you here,” Claire said, disregarding Lara’s remark. “You do seem a bit on edge, however. Is everything alright?” Claire reached her and was now standing in front of her, holding a notebook and some papers in front of her. She was slightly taller than Lara, as he had guessed when they talked in the plane. 

“Y-Yes, everything’s fine,” Lara said, a little disconcerted. “I just don’t feel so well, so I’d just rather go to my hotel now. Can’t wait for tomorrow, though,” she added with a fake smile. She prepared to make her exit once again, but Claire didn’t feel like letting her go, apparently.

“Would you like to talk about it?”   
  
“No. Thank you, but I just feel like going now,” Lara said, really not wanting to stay here any longer. She wanted to go to her hotel, no matter how crappy it was. “Sorry,” Lara mumbled.

“What hotel are you staying at, Lara?” Claire asked persistently. 

“The Cherchi hotel,” Lara replied. Claire raised her eyebrows and looked at Lara as if she just smelled something rather foul.

“That’s an… interesting choice,” she concluded.

“It was cheap,” Lara defended.

“I don’t doubt it,” Claire said as her smile returned. “Care for a drink?”

“What?” 

“Would you like to join me for a drink? I’m done here, anyway. I know a place where they make superb cocktails,” Claire invited her. 

“I, uh…,” Lara stammered, “I don’t know. I th-”  
  
“Well, I won’t take no for an answer,” Claire interrupted, her dark blue eyes piercing Lara’s, “it’s not every day I get to meet a member of the Croft family.” 

“Uhm, okay. Sure, I think?,” Lara half-heartedly agreed. “I don’t have anything else to wear than this, though. Is...is that okay?” she asked as she looked down.

“You are a bit underdressed, yes, but don’t worry about it,” Claire answered as her eyes followed Lara’s. 

“I’m sorry about that. Though, on that note, why  _ is _ everyone dressed so…,” Lara paused and threw her hands up as she tried to find the word she was looking for.

“Chic?” Claire finished her sentence.  
  
“Yes. That.”  
  
“Tradition, I assume,” Claire dismissed.  
  
“I didn’t know,” Lara said, a bit embarrassed as she averted her gaze. 

“Not to worry,” Claire chuckled, “this tough-girl outdoorsy look suits you quite well,” she added determined. Lara didn’t really know what to do with that compliment, but before she could thank her, Claire’s phone went off and she promptly picked up. She started walking and gestured Lara to follow her, which she did. “Archer,” she answered the phone sternly. Claire’s heels made an echoing sound on the marble floor as they made their way towards the exit. Claire’s pace was quicker than Lara’s, who had to walk a bit faster than usual to keep up. “Yes. Yes, as we’ve discussed,” Claire said, continuing her phone call, “there’s no a soul in the world who will believe them.” Even though Lara tried to make sense of the conversation she was having, it was impossible without hearing the other side, as well.

 

When they stepped outside and left the comfortable AC environment, Lara was hit with the scourging sun once more, and squinted her eyes. Though, Claire didn’t seemed phased at all. She kept her straight face, still talking into her phone. Lara walked next to her, silently, up until they reached the outer gates of the campus. A large black car was waiting near the exit. An Audi. A silver emblem on the backside revealed it was the S8 model. A driver, in a black suit and sunglasses was standing next to the car. Is  _ everyone  _ better dressed than she was? He was waiting for them, apparently, because he promptly opened the door to the back seats when he sighted the two women. Claire got in the backseat while still continuing her phone call. For a few seconds Lara stood next to the driver, who was still holding the door open, unsure whether or not she was supposed to follow. She looked at the driver, who smiled at her, to which she decided to get in.

 

The interior of the car was, unsurprisingly, very nice. Black leather covered the seats, while the doors were decorated with dark wood and aluminium. There was leg space for days, and Lara could see the sky through the dimmed sunroof. And, more importantly, the AC was on. The door to the driver’s seat opened and the driver stepped inside, started the car and drove off immediately. Apparently he knew where they were going? While Claire was finishing her phone call, Lara looked out the window. The city was buzzing with people. Tourists with their sun hats and camera’s taking mediocre pictures of all the monuments and old structural remnants of the Roman Empire throughout the city. Pictures they’d show once to their family before they’d be banned to the barren land of forgotten vacation photos, tucked away on an old laptop’s hard drive. Locals were present, too, looking annoyed at all of the terrace's that were now occupied by the large influx of picture taking, sun hat wearing tourists.

 

The smooth ride continued on until they reached the richer looking area of the city. The cars started looking equivalent in price to the one they were driving, and the houses and apartments like one’s Lara would never  _ ever _ be able to afford from her small salary at The Nine Bells.

“See that you do,” Claire said, ending the phone call. “I’m sorry,” she continued, as she turned her head towards Lara, “where were we?”

“You kind of kidnapped me for a drink,” Lara joked. Though, it wasn’t really that much of a joke. She started having doubts about going for a drink with a, let’s face it, complete stranger. What was that again, about strangers and not getting into their cars? 

“Well, again, it’s not everyday I get to meet Lara Croft in the flesh,” she laughed. “Don’t worry, you’re free to leave whenever you want,” she added with a wink. Lara smiled back at her, though half-heartedly, not really knowing what to say. Luckily, the car pulled up next to a row of small cafe’s and bars. In contrast to the part of the city they just left, the street here was maintained really well, with well groomed trees along either side of the road. The buildings had a pittoresque appearance, which was quite lovely. The many establishments all had a terrace in front of them, though they weren’t as crowded as the touristy part of the city. The few people that were enjoying their drinks in the sun, or under a parasol, truly looked like they belonged. Their attire the textbook definition of posh, obviously.  _ Oh, give me a break,  _ Lara groaned to herself as she looked at them through the car window. Claire didn’t move so Lara figured she’d get out first, but before she could reach the door handle, it was already opened by the driver. She took a second to realise what happened before stepping out in the sun once more. The trees and their leaves blocked out most of the sun rays, which made the weather a bit more bearable, at least. Lara heard the car they arrived in drive off as Claire took the lead and walked towards one of the cafe’s on the street. Even the pavement looked good, as if it was recently cleaned with a high pressure washer. Claire took a right and entered one of the terraces. To Lara’s delight, most of the terrace was covered in black parasols.  _ Principio del piacere,  _ it read on the sign next to the entrance. There was light chattering from the people already there. Claire lead Lara to the corner of the terrace and took a seat in one of the chairs at a table for two. Lara joined her and sat down opposite of her. The weather was indeed nicer her, now that most of the sun was blocked by the parasols. A light breeze touched her skin, too. Before she could get her bearings any further, a waiter had already arrived at their table. He was the same age as Lara, she estimated. Short dark hair and the usual waiter smile.

“The usual, Ms Archer?” he inquired. He seemed to expect her to say yes, as he wasn’t even holding anything to note her order down on.

“Yes, please,” Claire confirmed. Lara figured she’d just go for a coke, rather than one of those  _ superb cocktails,  _ as Claire had put it. “The same for this lady,” Claire added as she pointed to Lara. Or maybe not.

“Of course,” the waiter acknowledged and sped off. 

“So,” Claire smiled as she crossed her legs, “I have to say I’m glad you decided to join this year. As I told you on the plane, I’m quite interested in your stories.”

“Well, ask away, I guess?” Lara said, unsure.

“What made you attend this year?” 

“Professor Atkins invited me,” Lara answered. “He said he’d be here tomorrow, as well. He’s an old friend of the family.”

“Ah, yes, Professor Atkins, yes I know him,” Claire said, “quite close to your father, was he not?”

“Yes, he was. He visited us quite often, but the contact kind of stopped after my father died.” Lara said with a straight face. “I still speak with him via email on occasion, though.”

“Such a tragedy,” Claire said, unphased. “About your father, that is.”

“You speak like you know him,” Lara noted, and she pressed her lips together.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him personally,” Claire said. It seemed that, whatever Lara said or asked, Claire always managed to keep a straight face. “But I have read quite extensively about him. About you. About the Croft family.”

“I’m somewhat used to the attention the family name gets, but you seem to have a special interest. Why is that?” Lara asked. 

“I have a keen sense for anything, or  _ anyone,  _ that’s interesting, I suppose,” Claire never averted her gaze when she spoke. She looked directly into Lara’s eyes, and it seemed that with every word she spoke, her eyes pierced Lara’s even further. There was such a weird, but intriguing vibe about her, Lara thought to herself. 

“That’s a rather vague answer,” Lara said. 

“Do you not think your family is interesting, Lara?” Claire inquired.

“I do, I guess. But…” Lara averted her gaze as she was looking for her words. “There’s seven billion people on the planet. I am sure there are far more interesting families around.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Lara,” Claire said. Her sudden remark caught Lara off guard, but still Claire her smile remained. “I have a lot of interests in my life. You and your family happen to be one of them.”

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean....” Lara stammered.

“It’s quite alright,” Claire swiftly interrupted. “Since you are so keen to find the reason behind my interest, I will tell you. The work that your father has done for the world, is… profound. I’ve followed his work for as long as I can remember.”  
  
“You’ve always believed him?” Lara asked. She couldn’t help but feel proud of her father at that moment.  
  
“Always,” Claire answered. “And now you. You’ve followed him in his footsteps, which is quite remarkable to say the least. Especially after what happened with your father. I’ve read your works and I can see your father’s character in you.”  
  
“Thank you,” Lara said. She smiled. Genuinely this time.

“Besides that, imagine what your work will mean for the world in the long run,” Claire continued. She looked around her and waved her arm, as to point to their surrounds. “All of these people, they have no clue. They go about on their daily lives, completely unaware of what’s  _ really  _ out there.” Claire seemed to get a bit energetic for a moment, but quickly recovered her professional posture. “Ghosts, super powers, ancient old beings. Well, I’m sure I don’t have to sum up the supernatural for you.”

“I guess not. I...uhm, I really don’t know what to say to this,” Lara laughed sheepishly.

“Didn’t expect me to believe you?”

“I just didn’t expect to have this kind of conversation.”

“Ever?”

“Well, at least not with a stranger, I guess.” Lara answered. It was indeed kind of nice that someone appreciated her writing. And actually believed her. Hell, it was actually  _ really  _ nice. I mean, yes, Sam believed her. So did Jonah. But that doesn’t count. They were  _ there. _ Her thoughts were interrupted by the waiter putting down two large glasses filled with a red and pink looking drink. The ice in the glasses made a familiar sound as they were placed in front of the ladies. 

“There we go,” the waiter said in a most friendly way. “Enjoy,” he added as he made a quick bow and walked off again. Claire didn’t even seem to be aware of his presence, as she didn’t take her eyes off Lara.

“You know there were plenty of people that believed your father, right?” Claire said as she picked up the glass and took a quick sip.

“If there were, they weren’t vocal about it, that’s for sure,” Lara answered. She looked at the glass in front of her. Drips of the condensation were running down the side. Cocktail or not, it did look quite inviting. Especially in this weather.

“You can hardly blame them, Lara. If they were, they’d jeopardize their own credibility in the field,” Claire said. Lara knew why the people who had believed her father hadn’t spoken up. She couldn’t blame them; at least they believed him. 

“I know, I know,” Lara admitted. “Sometimes I’m still bitter about it.”

“About the Croft name being dragged through the dirt?”

“Yes. That.”

“You can regain the reputation and status it once had. I hope you realise that,” Claire said as she took another sip.

“I don’t set out to find the secrets of the world just to clear my family’s name.”

“Are you sure?” Claire asked. Lara, who had been staring at the red and pink mixture in front of her, suddenly looked up at her.

“What do you mean?” Lara asked.

“Why else are you following in your father’s footsteps?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Lara said determined. Claire her smile grew wider. A little smug, even. Maybe Claire was right. A little bit. Maybe she did want her family’s name cleared. At least her father’s name, Lara thought to herself. “I think.”

“You’re an extraordinary girl, Lara,” Claire said. “You will manage. You’ll do great things in your life, I am certain of it. And I’m sure many people have told you that before.”

“Some,” Lara said, a little unsure what to say to that. She averted her gaze to the drink in front of her again.

“Taste it,” Claire said, nodding towards the drink. “Trust me, you’ll love it.” Lara moved her hand to grip the glass. It felt ice cold on the touch as she moved it towards her mouth. She figured she might as well taste it. It’s not like she hadn’t had alcohol before. The taste was indeed quite nice, to Lara’s surprise. She wasn’t the biggest fan of the sweetest cocktails, and this certainly was one. It tasted like strawberries. But not like the strawberry flavor you normally get in drinks. The kind that’s chemically added to a drink just to give it somewhat of a flavor. No, this actually tasted like someone had squeezed some strawberries in. Lovely.

“What is it?” Lara asked as she took another sip. She could feel the alcohol slide down her throat, but it didn’t burn or anything. Cancelled out by the nice and sweet taste.

“Erminio refuses to share the recipe,” Claire laughed, pseudo-offended. “Do you like it?”

“It’s amazing, actually,” Lara said with a happy face before she put the glass back on the table. The first sips of an alcohol drink always hit you the hardest.

“Good. So, tell me about Kitezh.” Claire said suddenly.

“What?” Lara asked, taken aback by the sudden switch of subject.

“The lost city?”

“Oh, yes. Well. It’s quite amazing, to be honest. I think I-...”  
  
“Lara,” Claire interrupted. Lara stared at her. Claire looked at her calmly, and friendly. “I’m  _ genuinely  _ interested,” she continued. “I’m not a reporter. I am not someone who will talk to one. I am truly interested in not only the city, but your take on it, as well. Just relax, and tell me about it. It must have been some experience to discover it. It was rumored to be hidden under Lake Svetloyar, was it not?” Lara couldn’t contain a smile forming on her face. Was it truly so? Was someone  _ actually  _ for once interested in her professional opinion on something in her field? Someone who  _ believed _ her? She felt a little warm inside.

“Yes, yes it was!” Lara yelped out enthusiastically. Claire seemed to actually know what she was talking about. “But it wasn’t, you knew that, right? Right. I found out through one of my father’s notes. He talked about the city a lot in his notes, and he was  _ so  _ close. But he missed one vital detail, which I happened to stumble across,” Lara had shifted to the edge of her seat and started using her arms to aid her story. Claire leaned back with her drink in her hand and smiled even wider.

 

An hour, four cocktails, and about a million questions and answers later, Lara wrapped up her story. Enthusiastically she had explained everything, step by step, from the beginning to the end. Claire had been hanging on Lara’s lips as they moved about telling every little detail she deemed important. Lara was truly having a good time. Finally, there was someone she could talk to someone about this. Someone who was truly interested. Someone who understood her. Someone who  _ believed  _ her. And she happened to be extremely nice, as well. Lara gulped down the last bit of her fourth cocktail and put the glass back down. Lara doesn’t get drunk after a few drinks, but she did promise herself not to take another one that evening. Her body wasn’t used to the intake of large amounts of alcohol. 

“How was it, holding the divine source in your hands?” Claire asked. Lara didn’t even count how many drinks Claire had, but it was more than her. Though, she was better at holding her liquor than Lara was, that was for sure.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Lara answered. It was true; she couldn’t explain it. “Surreal, I guess.”

“What did you feel?” Claire asked intriguing.   
  
“Fear.”  
  
“Why fear?”  
  
“Several reasons. I was holding something that could fundamentally alter life as we know it. I was also holding the one and only thing that was keeping Jacob alive. It was overwhelming, to say the least.”

“I understand that. But there wasn’t some sort of surge through your body when you touched it or something like that?”

“If there was, I think the adrenaline in my body completed cancelled that out,” Lara answered. 

“Understandable,” Claire smiled. “Thank you for sharing your story with me,” she added.

“Thank you for listening,” Lara smiled back at her.

“Now, would you fancy some food?” Claire asked as she waved the waiter around. Lara was snapped back out of her adventure trance by the sudden subject change. She looked at the black watch on her wrist. 7PM. She was also suddenly aware that she was indeed very hungry. The waiter turned up at their table and Claire slipped him some money so quickly Lara couldn’t even see how much it was. 

“Have a great evening, ladies,” the waiter nodded as he walked off. Apparently they weren’t eating here.

“How much was it? We can share the bill,” Lara said as she reached for her pocket to get her wallet out.

“No need,” Claire dismissed. “It’s on me. So, again, are you hungry?” she asked again, she stood up. 

“Well, yes. Yes, I am. I think I’ll be heading back to my hotel, and eat something there,” Lara said as she stood up from her chair, too. She didn’t really want to eat at her hotel, but she didn’t feel like wasting more of Claire’s time. Surely, she had better things to do?

“I know the perfect place,” Claire said, proving Lara’s thoughts wrong. “Will you join me?” Claire got out her phone and tapped on the screen a couple of times and started walking towards the sidewalk. Lara followed her.

“I’m not sure. I don’t want to waste your time or anything,” Lara said sheepishly. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to have dinner with Claire. Was that even okay to do? What would Sam think?

“Nonsense, I’m having a splendid time with you,” Claire said with a wide smile. “Are you not enjoying yourself?”  
  
“I  _ am  _ enjoying myself,” Lara assured her. “Really, I am. It was a great chat, and I’m actually really grateful that… well, you know, you actually believe what I say, and everything. It’s just that…”  
  
“Just what?”  
  
“I have a partner. Like, at home, I mean. I’m not sure if…” Lara stammered.

“What? Your partner doesn’t allow you to consume food in the near vicinity of other people?” Claire interrupted.  
  
“No! No, of course not. That’s not it,” Lara said, looking to the floor. She felt a little embarrassed. Why was she having such a hard time speaking around Claire? When it wasn’t about finding lost cities and the sort, anyway.

“Well, then. Let us have dinner together,” Claire determined. She stopped at the side of the road on the sidewalk. 

“I guess so,” Lara said, still unsure. Maybe this wasn’t the correct thing to do. She travelled to Rome for the GAC, not to socialize, or have dinner with other people, right? What would she think if Sam went somewhere and did the same thing.

“Lara,” Claire suddenly said as she stepped in front of her. Claire used her index finger and thumb to grab Lara by her chin to lift her head up so she was looking directly in her eyes. Claire brought her face closer. Lara could smell her perfume. It was a soothing perfume. Lavendel, Lara thought. Maybe. “Calm down,” she said. Lara could feel her warm breath on her face. It wasn’t unpleasant, at all. “Have a little fun now and then. Your entire life shouldn’t be  _ just  _ about finding the world’s most hidden secrets, or fighting secret organizations. Stop being so serious for just an evening, and have a little fun. Okay?” Claire’s face looked serious. Like she actually cared for Lara and was afraid she was indeed being too serious too often in her life. Maybe she was right, a little fun in your life doesn’t hurt anyone, right?

“Okay,” Lara accepted as she gave Claire a nod.

“Good girl,” Claire said as she let go of Lara. “My driver will pick us up soon.” Lara averted her eyes. She looked down the road they were standing next to. For a split second she contemplated running away. For just a moment she felt like getting away from here, to safety. But why? What was the problem? Claire was right, she  _ did  _ need to have a little fun again. She was feeling so depressed lately, she deserved a little change. To be fair, it was great talking with Claire. She was extremely kind to her. She listened to her the way no one had done for a very long time. 

“Do you like fish?” Claire asked, pulling Lara out of her thoughts. Lara looked to the side, at Claire. She wondered if she had any other intention by inviting her to dinner except just having a good conversation. Would she?

“Yeah, fish is nice,” Lara said dryly. She was still thinking about whether or not this was a good idea. If she had to try and convince herself this was actually a good idea, that basically meant it  _ wasn’t,  _ right? Should she text Sam to ask and see if she was okay with it. The sound of tires running of asphalt approached them, and Lara saw the car they were dropped off in pulling up next to them. Lara got out her phone and saw several messages from Sam. She suddenly remembered their list fight over text and she groaned internally. She unlocked her phone and read through the last messages.

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ Seriously, though, why don’t you want to be seen with me? Do you think I’m ugly? _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ Or am I not good enough for the great Lady Lara Croft? _

 

The driver got out of the car and opened the door to the backseat. Claire got in. Lara followed, phone still in hand. Claire said something to the driver, something Lara didn’t even hear and within moments she felt the car take off.

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ Lara? Hello? Why are you ignoring me? _

 

_ Missed Call from Sam Nishimura _

_ Missed Call from Sam Nishimura _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ Fuck you, Lara. I’m not someone you can just blatantly ignore, I am your girlfriend for fuck’s sake. ANSWER ME!!!! _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ LARA WHERE ARE YOU???? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME??? _

 

_ Missed Call from Sam Nishimura _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ Fine. I get it. You found someone else. What are you? Some sort of slut? Why are you being so cruel to me? I’ve done nothing wrong! _

 

Lara scrolled through the texts with pain in her heart. It was difficult to fight back the tears, so her eyes was starting to get watery.

 

_ Missed Call from Sam Nishimura _

 

**_Sam:_ ** _ I FUCKING HATE YOU _

 

Her trembling thumb tried to scroll further, but she had reached the end of Sam her tantrum. As she used all of her strength to fight back the tears she stared at that last text she received. She thought of something to send back. Something soothing? Saying sorry? Getting angry at her? Lara didn’t know anymore. In the end, she locked her phone and put it back in her pocket. Claire hadn’t said a word yet. She probably noticed Lara was having an emotional moment. Despite her efforts, she felt a tear roll over her left cheek. God fucking dammit. She didn’t want to draw attention to the fact she might be crying, so she didn’t wipe it away, hoping Claire wouldn’t notice. Lara turned her head to face Claire, who was looking directly at her. Her face had a soothing smile on it. Of course she had seen. Bloody hell.

“Sorry,” Lara muttered as she looked away quickly.

“No need to apologies.” Claire said softly. Lara looked back at her, but didn’t say anything. Claire reached out her hand and wiped away the tear that had almost reached the end of Lara’s cheek. Her hand felt warm and soft. It lingered there for a moment before Claire pulled back. “Trouble at home?” she asked. Lara didn’t answer her and instead looked away again.

“No. I’m just making a fool out of myself. Sorry,” she muttered. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. Get a hold of yourself, Lara, for God’s sake, she told herself. Get your mind off of Sam, and focus on the now and here. Deal with Sam when you get home. Not now. “Where did you say we were going?” Lara asked as she managed to recover her posture.

“I didn’t. Not yet,” Claire answered cheerfully, understanding Lara’s wish to change the subject. “I’ll surprise you, but don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it. Though, do you mind making a stop at my hotel room first?”  
  
“Why?” Lara asked.

“Well. How do I put this,” Claire wondered as her eyes swept up and down Lara’s body. “Your clothing is… nice, and it was fine for the drink we had there. However…”  
  
“Not fancy enough for the restaurant we’re going to, I suppose?” Lara finished her sentence.

“Quite,” Claire her smile broadened. “But not to worry, I have something that would suit you very well, indeed.”  
  
“Uh, would I uhm…” Lara stammered, as she blushed a little.

“Fit you?” Claire chuckled. 

“Yes…” Lara said softly.

“Are you calling me fat?”  
  
“No!” Lara held up her hands. “No, no, of course not. You’re just… taller. I thought that…”  
  
“Not to worry,” Claire laughed. “I’m just teasing you, sweetheart. No, no. It won’t be any of my clothing. I can have something delivered to my hotel room, though.”

“Oh,” Lara said, feeling rather silly.

“What is your dress size? 6, 8?”  
  
“6?!” Lara yelped out. “I’m not  _ that  _ thin.”  
  
“Then what?”  
  
“I-I… actually don’t know. I don’t really wear dresses, to be honest,” Lara admitted.

“I’d say 10,” Claire guessed as her eyes scanned her again. “Turn your body towards me would you?” Lara hesitated for a moment, but then undid her seatbelt and obliged. “Hmm, yes. I think 10,” she said as she reached out and lifted up her top to her ribs. It made Lara’s heart skip a beat.

“Uh…” Lara stammered as her cheeks turned red.

“Not that thin you say?” Claire smiled. “Fighting baddies must burn a lot of calories,” she added with a wink. “Yes, size 10 will do you just fine,” she determined and quickly grabbed her phone from her purse and started tapping away. Lara sat there bewildered for a moment, her midriff still bare before realising she probably looked like an idiot. She quickly rolled down her tank top and sat back against the leather seat again. What just happened? “Black or white?” she asked finally.

“B-black… I think,” Lara answered sheepishly. For a moment Claire stared at her.

“I think so too,” Claire agreed as she tapped away at her phone for a few more times before putting it away. “There. Taken care off. We'll have a splendid time tonight, I’m sure of it,” she added with a broad smile. Lara couldn’t help but smile back.


End file.
